Chapter 20 Bleeding

"What do we do now?" Yuxi paced up and down the market, whispering in a low tone to Zhan Peng.
It was half an hour since the man had left, and the end of the agreed time by Booyeong. Calling on his photographic memory, Zhan Peng recalled the contents of the note thrusted into his tunic. It contained an address in the nearby woods, but he wasn't sure whether it was indeed Booyeong who had sent the note, as he hadn't witnessed the man's face clearly.
He dwelled on the embroidered pattern on the black robes of the man. The said pattern was prominent on the sleeves and back of the man's robes, suggestive that it was an emblem of an eminent evil.
Was Booyeong part of a secret society that propagated wrongdoings and performed heinous crimes? Zhan Peng figured.
The forest was just about ten li from the market. If it hadn't been for the kidnapping, they would have had to make their journey through the woods to get through Xiantan. They wouldn't have time to return to the cottage to get their belongings. They could only make do with the remnants of the gold bars they had on Yuxi, Zhan Peng's waterskin that he carried with him, their weapons and the clothes on their back.
But they had no time to spare.
The villagers of Erlu feared the woods. While on the mission, they had to take extreme care and ensure nobody was following them or knew their movements. Given the commotion in the centre of the market earlier, it was unlikely that anyone would notice them leave for the forest. He saw a young woman in tattered clothes lay unconscious on the ground, marked by a pestilence. The superstitious villagers believed the witch Xima would strike again.
They also feared Booyeong and his bandits. Countless women had fallen prey to the malevolent leader, yet none of the villagers had seen him in person or knew about his identity, other than that he was a descendant of an indigenous tribe of Xiantan. A race that didn't have a name. Known facial features of people of that race included narrow eyes, high nose bridges, and sharp chins. Nobody knew where their ancestors had come from, since they weren't part of the notable races in Shang-Yi.
"Hello? Are you listening?"
Zhan Peng nodded silently to indulge Yuxi, gesturing for them to leave the marketplace.
"I don't think anyone is coming anymore," he whispered once they were alone at a resting corner located just outside the marketplace. On top of the roof of the shelter, a few black-coloured birds perched. Yuxi responded with a dubious stare.
"Do you mean?"
He calmly took out the note and handed it to the guard. Yuxi's face immediately contorted into an indescribable expression.
"Are you serious? After such a long time passed, you didn't share this with me?"
"Miss Yuxi, I am very clear of your tendency to jump into actions without contemplation."
His reply provoked her. She raised her hand to strike him, and he allowed her to.
A loud slap interrupted the silence between them. Yuxi looked surprised. She had put so much force in the punch that even his tan face was showing the reddish marks from her strike.
"Why didn't you avoid my blow?" She sounded slightly apologetic.
He didn't expect her to be concerned about the aftermath of the blow she dealt him.
"I'm fine." He was still cool despite how unsightly the mark was. "We should get going now. The longer we delay, the farther they'll get and the harder it'll be to rescue Tian."
She responded with a weak nod. He understood that all the walking had exhausted her. As a noblewoman, she probably wasn't accustomed to the hardships of travelling long distances and the sparse living conditions of the village. Not to mention, she was probably famished after a night of strenuous activity.
He observed how she still ploughed on, even when she was dreadfully tired. Though she didn't say a word, blisters probably covered her dainty feet. Yang Tian must have held a sturdy place in her heart, despite her rejection of him. Thinking about this point, he was envious, wishing the bandits had captured him and not his sworn brother.
It didn't seem normal that she was extremely worried about him. He clearly saw the sweat on her forehead, and how she kept sighing and looking about the place to find out if they were near. It was just days to a few weeks that they collaborated and hence, for an employer to develop that amount of concern for a mercenary, it was truly worrying.
Did she have feelings for him?
But if so, why had she agreed to lend him one night? Why had she been so bothered about his false relationship with Yonghe?
He decided women from Shang-Yi were just complicated creatures. Not only could one woman have a few husbands, they seemed quite fickle.
His deduction made his heart sink like a stone.
An hour passed. He spotted some streaks of blood near Yuxi's pointed flat shoes, but she didn't utter a single word other than to ask if they were there yet. As he didn't own a map of the forest, he had to go with the compass he had brought.
"Do you need a rest?" He couldn't refrain from asking. She, the imperial guard, the woman leading the mission, his employer, who again was acting stronger than she was internally. From the time he saved her from drowning, he knew she just made herself appear stronger than she actually was.
In Longsu, women were vulnerable, weaker individuals. They depended highly on their husbands, regardless of caste and upbringing. Few women received informal education from a home-tutor, although Di Pao, as the illegitimate daughter of a minister herself, was an exception. Like he was born of a mother with lowly status, she too could not get any honourable status other than an inferior concubine.
Yuxi was the opposite of them all. Her name meant 'jade seal', the emblem of power of a king. Rumours said that her father had received a verdict from the former king when she was born, containing the king's seal and hence, they had named her that way.
She accepted his waterskin and gulped down a big mouthful of water. While she was drinking, he looked down at her leg and saw blood trickle down on the green grass, painting it red.
That red, however, didn't look like the colour of blood that splattered from the commoners that had fallen in battle to him back when he was fighting the rapist. He remembered those he had defeated in the dark inn, and the colour they bled. Their blood was a similar red to the citizens of Longsu. Hers had been significantly different. It was clear and a vivid red.
Much brighter than the blood of any soul he had ever seen. As they trudged on, he wondered how it could be possible. Even with her injuries, she hadn't let out one cry of pain. Nor had she complained at all. Was she not an ordinary human being?
"Miss Yuxi, if you can't manage, I can carry you."
"That's totally unnecessary. I'm fine. What's important is that we get to Yang Tian's captors as soon as possible."
Her answer left him incensed. Again, Yang Tian. It invoked a war cry in him.
Lifting her up, he hoisted her against his shoulder, without concerning whether she was comfortable with it. Then he carried on with the journey, heading towards the northwest of the jungle.
When he paused moments later, she was already sound asleep. Taking great care not to wake her, he let her down on a gigantic rock and lifted the trouser on her affected side, revealing her battered heel.
It's that bad? He silently said to himself, searching for a knife to cut a strip from his clothing to wrap up her injury site. He wasn't taught the way of the physicians, but while the Mystic Physician treated Yang Tian, he had picked up a few tricks.
And then there was the herbalist knowledge his master had imparted to him. Fortunately, there were a few herb shrubs in the area that he could utilise in pulverising into a poultice to treat Yuxi's injured heel. A few rocks lay beside the shrubs, which acted as perfect pestles.
He heard a soft murmur from her as he pounded the mixture.
"No matter what, I won't give in to your demands… No!"
"Yuxi?"
She didn't answer him, falling back into a deep slumber. He freed her wrist from her tight sleeves and placed his fingers on it, seeking a pulse.
He drew his fingers back in shock to find none.
"Yuxi… NO!"
She couldn't be gone. He cried, hugging her to his chest as desperately as he could. Please, he begged.
There was no response.